'We should've gotten here earlier, little one. This event's way busier than I thought it would be.'

Zach tried to keep a straight face as he brushed past the father and child. Unfortunately, his efforts were noticed by someone else.

'You there, kid. What's with all of the water?'

Zach bit his lip; he wanted to tell the truth, but he also didn't want to lose the job he had only gotten five minutes ago.

Eventually, the lad sighed. 'We had a bit of a flood, but it's nothing serious.'

The visitor narrowed her eyes, and then Zach caught them gleaming when she realised the opportunity she'd been given. The lady would level at them a lawsuit like no other, which would end Flurbury's.

It wasn't just her either. Every visitor would be jumping around, slipping, trashing the furniture and splashing whatever they could. And for some reason, Hilton was all for it.

Feeling utterly helpless, Zach closed his eyes.

'Watch it!'

'Sorry.'

'Yeah. Right. I bet you are.'

The lad shook his head and tried to walk past with his eyes open this time, only to be shoved.

'Looks like we have another fool who doesn't believe in queues.'

Zach flushed red and pointed at the entrance. 'I work here.'

'What?' the older man asked, raising his hiking pole like a weapon. 'No, you can't go in front of me. You'll wait your turn like everyone else.'

'I work here.'

'You work here?'

'Yes!'

'Well, you don't look like you do.'

The lad's response didn't leave his throat because he spotted Hilton waving.

'Change of plans,' the Manager yelled. 'You're on queue duty.'

Zach suddenly felt like he'd been punched in the gut. However, the older man who'd scolded him not a moment before was amusingly tight-lipped and doing his best to avoid eye contact. It was a small blessing.

Hilton cleared his throat to get the lad's attention. 'Any time today would be great.'

'Right.' Answered Zach, still hesitant.

Hilton frowned and squeezed past one visitor after the next until he stood toe to toe with the lad. 'Look, I know this is a lot, but there's no way these visitors will come back at the weekend, and if they tell people how badly we messed up, they'll never return at all.'

Zach waved in the direction of Loftus' property. 'Won't the big man go nuts? We're not giving him much time.'

Hilton shrugged. 'Even if he does, it's of no concern to you. Amy's handling it. I need you to talk to our lovely visitors and remember, first impressions are everything.'

'They're going to ask how long the event will last.'

The Museum Manager grinned. 'All week long; go hard or go home, right?'

'Right.' Answered Zach, this time his eyes wide in disbelief as he watched the Manager head back inside.

Then the father from before tapped Zach on the shoulder. 'We've been waiting for hours. How much longer will this take?'

Zach desperately wanted to remind the man that only several minutes had passed. However, he knew demonstrating lousy customer service wasn't an option, especially not with every other visitor standing within earshot.

Ultimately, he decided on a fake smile that threatened to split his cheeks. 'It won't be long. Thank you for your patience.'

Zach's reply hadn't won them over, and he could sense the tension building amongst the others. Children were fidgeting, pulling each other's hair, and play-fighting while their parents struggled to keep them under control.

Someone had also been surveying the queue from the back and tried to make his move when he thought Zach wasn't looking. The man might have even stood a chance if he wasn't wearing a high-visibility jacket with a blinking red lead wrapped around his hand. 

As it was, Zach turned with a smile. 'I'm sorry, sir, but dogs aren't allowed.'

'That's ridiculous! One just walked past you.'

The lad had to check just in case, but he couldn't see the dog. He couldn't see anything beyond the people in the growing queue. And when he turned back, the man had almost gotten past him. 'I told you, dogs aren't allowed.'

'Go on; he's a good boy. What if I carry him under my coat?'

Zach shook his head. 'Sir, even if your dog wasn't the biggest Lurcher I've ever seen, we can't make exceptions. It's a listed building.'

The man threw his lead on the ground. 'Listed my arse, this building's a piece of-'

'I'm just doing my job,' answered Zach. 'I can get my boss if you want to talk to him.'

The dog walker held up his hand, and he couldn't resist showing off his tattoo. He'd had a pair of eyes painted on his index finger and a brown moustache on his thumb. And when he made a fist, the eyes appeared to clench shut as if crying.

'Very funny.'

'You think so?' the dog walker snarled. 'I'm just telling it how it is, you baby. And you're telling me my little Lurchy will make more mess than any of these bratty kids?'

One of the parents had overheard and tried to slap him.

The dog walker dodged. 'Chill, you boiled potato. I was making a point.'

'Say that again, and I'll rip-'

The dog walker laughed. 'Boiled potato. Now, why don't you and your armpit of a boyfriend piss off before I stick my foot up your arse.'

'Enough! Or I'll ban all of you. Dogs aren't allowed, period. As for everyone else, the queue is moving if you still want to visit?'

First, one person shuffled forward, then several more until only the man and his beloved Lurchy remained.

Zach felt more vulnerable now than ever, so he carefully chose his words. 'Sir, perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. You can always take your dog home and then come back.'

'I'm never coming back here!'

'I remember you,' Amy growled, arriving in perfect time. 'You're one of Peggy's friends.'

'I am. And just you wait until I tell her how you've all treated me-'

'Listen, guy, Poo Pag Peggy isn't some all-powerful being. She's a waste of skin and has no say here.'

The man spat on the floor, scooped up his dog against its will and scurried away.

Zach grinned at Amy, his heart pounding something fierce. 'A frequent visitor of ours?'

'He wishes.'

The pair suddenly sniffed at the air; there was a strong scent of hay. And it didn't take long before Zach sneezed into his sleeve. 'Damn pollen.'

'What the hell's going on?!' Yelled Loftus. He'd run and was now trying to catch his breath.

'Oh, wow.' Zach pointed at the big man's bunny ear headband while trying to blink away tears.

Loftus didn't even attempt to remove the thing; instead, he glared back in defiance. 'I've got to market my merchandise, somehow. And Amy, why did you leave? We're supposed to be setting up the Rabbit Hop.'

The supervisor deliberately strolled up to one of the outdoor cabinets to swing open both doors and drag out a green bag. 'What did you think I was doing? Going for a nap?'

Loftus shook his head, and the bunny ears flopped from front to back. 'Just come with me, you smart ass.'

Amy laughed and ushered him away before pausing to look over her shoulder. 'I'm sure Hilton will have said, but you have the most important job of us all today, Zach. Don't mess it up.'

'Where are my parents?'

Amy waved and left the question unanswered.

Then just when Zach thought he'd caught a break, he noticed another shifty-eyed visitor walking up to the building entrance. 'Admission, Sir?'

The man's eyes darted left and right as if yearning to escape his paint-speckled face. And despite every stolen glance into the museum and each missed step, he did not slow down.

The visitor had a mission. First, he ducked under Zach's legs and lunged for the open doorway. Then he lost his balance entirely when he glimpsed families thrashing about in the still-draining water. And with arms swinging and hands futilely grasping, the man fell face-first into the nearest fire alarm panel.

There was a few seconds of silence when people stopped to see what had happened. Even the clumsy visitor thought he'd gotten lucky until alarms began blaring throughout the museum.

Hilton raced from behind the till, but the shifty visitor had been one step ahead and managed to make his escape. 'Bastard!'

'How's it look?' Zach yelled, still watching the visitor as he sprinted towards the Catty Kite exhibition.

'We've got big problems,' The Manager replied, fiddling with the switches next to the fire panel. 'Yep, I can't silence it. Bastard!'

Zach looked at Hilton and noticed he was biting his nails. Yes, the man appeared terrified, and the lad knew why. He could have fought lawsuits but couldn't call off the Fire Brigade without making everything worse. Hilton had undoubtedly realised that they would shut the place down for good this time.